MeatEater

- Season 5

(2015)

Dumped lakeside on the south side of Alaska's Brooks Range, Steven Rinella and wildlife biologist Brandt Meixell have ten days of hunting before the plane returns. Big-antlered Yukon moose are the primary objective but Rinella's lifelong quest for a mature male grizzly could come to an end as well. The two also discuss what makes a hunter a biologist, and a biologist a hunter.

The clock is ticking after a missed shot on a small bull and Steve and Brandt are desperate not to return home empty-handed. Luck finds them on the last day and walks right into their cross-hairs.

Comedians Joe Rogan and Bryan Callen take a stab at their third species of North American deer as they join Steve on a black-tail hunt on Prince of Wales Island.

Pulled from the pages of his forthcoming Wild Game Cookbook, Steve shares a variety of recipes designed to jazz up your ground meat game.

Steve travels deep into the Amazon jungle in Bolivia to hunt and fish with, as well as learn from the local indigenous tribe there.

Steve travels deep into the Amazon jungle in Bolivia to hunt and fish with, as well as learn from the local indigenous tribe there.

Steve travels deep into the Amazon jungle in Bolivia to hunt and fish with, as well as learn from the local indigenous tribe there.

Steve enlists First Lite's Ryan Callaghan to help initiate two MeatEater staff members into the hunting community on a cow elk hunt in Northern Montana.

Steve returns to southern Arizona to stalk one of his favorite quarry the elusive Coues deer. Unaccompanied, Steve immerses himself in the quiet southwest desert and gets intimate with one of the most wary animals in the west. Giant felines threaten the story but Steve stays on course and articulates why solo time in trophy country is good for the soul.

Steve and fellow bird hunting aficionado Ronny Boehme join up with Wildlife Biologist Ed Arnett in Lubbock, Texas to hunt Sandhill cranes. Though not many people have actually eaten them, the Sandhill crane carries the nickname "rib eye of the sky" because of its supposed similarities to a handsome cut of beef. It's fast action and plenty of laughs as Steve, Ronny, and Ed dispel any culinary myths about these birds with a Texas style "Crane Cookout."

Lightning strikes twice: Steve has somehow beaten the odds and drawn a second Muskox tag after having to forfeit his first one four years ago due to unforeseen circumstances. Steve's only regret in life was passing up his opportunity to hunt Muskox. With another tag in his pocket, nothing will stop this adventure. We learn about the history and culture of Nunivak Island as Steve tries to stay warm while chasing Muskox 30 miles offshore in the Bering Sea. The muskox is delicious but the tomcod dipped in seal oil is fit for the hippest Brooklyn restaurant.

Last time Joe and Bryan went out with Steve they were soaked head to toe and came home meatless. To remedy their meat crisis while keeping them dry, Steve sets up a springtime wild turkey hunt in sunny California. Steve gives Joe and Bryan the A to Z on hunting, butchering, and cooking the wild turkey. Steve caps off the introductory lesson by preparing his favorite turkey recipe: Schnitzel.

While scouting for mountain goats outside of Ketchikan, AK Steve heard the beckoning springtime "hoot" of the Sooty grouse. He put forth a great effort hunting them in 2014 and left perplexed. Steve is back and has enlisted Barbara Gabier, a friend of a friend and passionate Sooty grouse hunter, to show him the ropes. As they start their hunt Steve recalls the trials and errors of his first attempt at Sooty grouse hunting. It's exhaustive, but through it all Steve finds a moment he describes as "hunting bliss."

Last week we saw the difficulty of hunting the Sooty grouse of Ketchikan, Alaska. We rejoin Steve and Barbara in Juneau, AK as they continue to pursue "hooters." Tromping through Southeast Alaska rainforest, Steve and Barbara discover a mutual fondness for an unconventional hunt. Barbara concludes the week of hunting cooking fettuccine ala grouse.

Steve teams up with long time friend and Seattle based chef Andrew Radzialowski for a summertime gathering featuring recipes from Steve's latest book "The Complete Guide to Hunting, Butchering, and Cooking Wild Game, Vol. 1: Big Game." The two do a little foraging in the coastal forest to compliment the meal and then host their favorite Seattle peoples to sample the feast.

Last spring, Steve decided to pass up an opportunity to kill a black bear in favor of an extended up close and personal experience. This year, Steve heads back to his shack on Prince of Wales Island and he's brought Vortex Optics' Paul Neess along to share the rush of using a canoe to slip in close to these giant black bears.